Cryptosporidiosis

Cryptosporidiosis General Information

The disease called Cryptosporidiosis is also known as crypto and it is caused by a parasite that can be found in water, food or soil. It can also be found on areas that have been contaminated with waste. The main sources of this medical disorder are the contaminated materials: water (for example, that from the swimming pool), earth, or uncooked food that was near the stools of an animal or person carrying the parasite. Once the parasite is transferred to your mouth and swallowed, you can consider yourself infected. The parasite that causes this diarrheal condition is found the intestine of the infected person or animal, especially mammal. It then passes in the patient’s stools. The microorganism can easily survive outside the body for some periods of time. This is long enough for the parasite to effectively resist to disinfectants that are based on chlorine. This is due to the outer protective shell that protects the protozoa parasite. In the past few years, Cryptosporidiosis has become a very common cause of waterborne disease that affects mainly the people living in the Unites States because, in these regions, it can be found almost everywhere. The fecal-oral route usually helps this infectious disease to spread. More sensitive to disorders of this kind are the patients with a compromised immune system, such as those people with AIDS. More than 8% of these patients suffer from Cryptosporidiosis over their lifetime. In the countries that are still developing, the most affected are the small children, usually those under six years old.

Cryptosporidiosis Symptoms

After the person gets infected with the parasite, the signs and symptoms start to develop in three to twelve days (the period of incubation). Cryptosporidiosis, in some people, may not manifest at all; we say that such cases are asymptomatic. But, when the symptoms are present, the most common is the watery diarrhea. Along this particular symptom, some patients may complain of: low fever (under 39oC), dehydration, and weight loss, pain in the stomach, nausea and vomiting and abdominal cramps. Although Cryptosporidiosis usually affects the small intestine, the parasite could also provoke reactions in other areas of the gastrointestinal tract or even in the respiratory tract. If the patient has a healthy immune system, the manifestations of this disease can last from seven to fifteen - twenty days. The symptoms appear as a cycle, meaning that you begin to feel better after a day or two, but then, you may feel worse than before, until the parasite is completely out of your system. Indefinitely persistent symptoms may be characteristic for those patients who have a weakened or severely damaged immune system, like patients with AIDS or HIV positive patients, who follow therapies with immunosuppressive drugs and who are suffering from different forms of cancer. In such cases, the parasite causes persistent diarrhea (chorelike and profuse), as they presenting a higher risk of developing this disorder’s lethal symptoms. In such classes of patients, the biliary tract may also be affected, triggering unpleasant manifestations as papillary stenosis, sclerosing cholangitis, acalculous, and cholecystitis. Other conditions may occur, for example pancreatitis. The malabsorption may lead to wasting or signs of volume depletion.

Cryptosporidiosis Treatment

As soon as you start to suspect that you got infected and may have Cryptosporidiosis you should call your health care provider and establish a medical examination. You will be asked about the specific symptoms that you are experiencing (to see if they match this disorder’s signs). Then, some samples of your stools will be required for more careful testing in order to determine if you indeed have the parasite. Testing for this parasitic disease involves many more days in order to establish a correct diagnosis. You will need to submit more than one specimen of your stool over several days. Also, because the tests for detecting the presence of this parasite are not routinely done, the physician may demand a special test for Cryptosporidium. Once the diagnosis is certain, the doctor may proceed with the adequate treatment. It is very important that this condition is determined in time because if it is not, it may trigger complications that would end up with the death of the patient, especially if the infected person is a child or an AIDS sufferer. For better and more efficient results, the patient may consult with a gastroenterologist, an infectious disease specialist or a general surgeon, depending on the other medical conditions (complications) that have developed in time. The normal treatment against Cryptosporidiosis requires drinking plenty of liquids. First, a treatment for Cryptosporidiosis must be supportive, especially in the case of immune-competent people. Most of them suffer of a short self limiting course that demands anti-diarrhea drugs and careful oral re-hydration. Sometimes, the doctor may prefer, to administrate IV (intravenous) fluids. An improved outcome is provided by anti-retroviral therapies for patients with HIV or AIDS. For them, and for others with a compromised immune system, Cryptosporidiosis represents a real threat.

On the market there are several drug trials containing azithromycin in higher doses that assure an effective therapy. Furthermore, roxithromycin, clarithromycin or letrazuril can be used. An exact cure for this disorder is not known although there are some medicines that have proved to be efficient in dealing with this disorder’s symptoms. The disease must be managed carefully because it usually causes complications when it attacks people with conditions such as pregnancy, alcoholism and diabetes. If dehydration and diarrhea are prolonged, the elderly and the very young patients must be monitored. This is why all the physicians will prescribe drugs that slow down the diarrhea during a patient’s recovery. The diet kept during the period of therapy is also very important. The nutritional aspects are vital because if malnutrition occurs, death is inevitable. Patients should have in consideration a lactose free diet because this element is not tolerated at all by the microorganisms leading to Cryptosporidiosis. Enteral nutrition is preferred because it has been proved to be efficient. Against this type of disorders, antibiotics have no effect, being primarily reserved for those who have a damaged immune system. In some cases, relapses often happen. Water must be always boiled or filtered before drinking if there is the risk of developing the condition.